Kayak Ha Long Bay And Bike Siem Reap

Hanoi celebrated its millenium in 2010. It is a city of great charm, with its bustling Old Quarter, shady Colonial streets and numerous lakes. The balance of day is at leisure to recover from jet lag. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a nice restaurant, where we will begin our exploration of the culinary delicacies of Vietnam and have our trip orientation.

Today we will have a full day tour of Hanoi. In the morning we will visit the Confucian Temple of Litterature, where you will learn about Vietnam ancient educational system and listen to traditional Vietnamese music. Then join the queu to visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh- uncle Ho and the green compound where he used to live and worked. Have a look at the Hoa Lo prison museum – also known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” After lunch at Cha Ca restaurant, we’ll explore lovely Hoan Kiem Lake and cross a red bridge to reach the Ngoc Son Temple, built on an islet in the middle of the lake. We may also have time to wander the downtown area, visiting the colorful Hanoi market and the market district, where each street hosts vendors of a particular trade, including metal workers, funerary wreaths and electronics. We’ll dine at a restaurant where every dish is a work of art - Dinh Lang Restaurant.

We’ll drive to Ha Long Bay, stopping several times to stretch our legs. Time permitting, you’ll visit Bat Trang pottery village en route. In Bat Trang, village life centers on ceramics. You will visit a ceramic factory and the home of a famous artist, and pass by the stands of old women selling betel nut. As you head north you’ll catch a glimpse of rural Vietnamese life, people working in the rice paddies, water buffalo, children returning from school and ancient temples. After three hours you’ll arrive at Ha Long Bay, where the silhouettes of endless limestone formations beckon you to begin the second part of your adventure. Board a traditional wooden boat. You’ll head out into the sentinels of Ha Long Bay, arriving in the late afternoon at the Ba Men Temple, where the custom of worshipping the whale as a god of fisherman is still upheld. Overnight on-board near Ba Men Temple.

After a kayak lesson, you’ll venture out into one of the most scenic areas of the bay. You‘ll visit spectacular beaches sheltered by imposing limestone towers, and on the first day encounter fishing families in a floating village. These are true boat people, spending their lives in the narrow confines of their small vessels. You also visit the three tunnel lakes, a series of limestone lagoons accessible only by small boats when the tide is right. Overnight on the boat.

You’ll have few days of kayaking to explore other parts of stunning Ha Long Bay, the corners unknown to most tourists. Your only companions will be rocks, fishermen, sea birds and occasionally some shy monkeys.

After breakfast on-board the boat you’ll bid a farewell to the crew before returning to Hanoi. Transfer directly to Noi Bai airport for evening flight to Siem Reap. Siem Reap will serve as the base-camp for your visits to Angkor archaeological park, located at 5 km away.
 

In the early morning, head to an amazing place where the breakfast will be served before you discover the Angkor archaeological park by bicycle. After breakfast, start cycling for your exploration by strolling through the forest to discover the natural environment. Let your imagination go back to the time of the Angkor Empire, then to the precise year of 1861 when French naturalist Henri Mouhot rediscovered it in shere wonder and amazement.  Walk in to the village to meet local people, and stop to visit the different temples on the way: Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in the city. In the afternoon, travel by  tuk-tuk to the great site of Angkor Thom. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Depart your hotel in the morning to discover the marvelous temple of Angkor Wat, a World Heritage Site with soaring towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs. It is one of the most amazing monuments ever conceived by man, erected in the 12th century (1112-1152) in honour of Vishnu. From Angkor Wat Temple, take a short bike ride of 6 km to the untouched Banteay Thom Temple where your lunch will be set up and waiting for you. Relax at the lunch place with a foot massage and spend your time there at leisure until you are transferred back to the hotel.

After breakfast, you’ll have some free time for last minute souvenirs shopping or wandering around the city until you are transferred to airport for your return flight home. Your room will be available until noon.